Earlier in the week I received, in my capacity as Arrowhead Press's Poetry
Editor, a submission accompanied by the following missive:
Dear Arrowhead,
i have around about a thousand pieces of poetry and would like to see them
published.
Not concerned about making money.
I have enclosed five pieces of poetry, please could you take a look at them,
and if nothing else some feedback would be appreciated.
Yours sincerely etc
This was written in a somewhat unpractised hand, on half a sheet of lined
paper roughly torn from a notebook. He had at least wordprocessed the poems,
or got someone else to do it -- in 8 point. And the double page poems were
fixed together with a complicated system of fold-and-tear in the top left
corner. (At least they weren't pinned!)
The poems were -- well, I hate to be unkind, but they were dire. If they'd
been brilliant or even pretty good, I'd have asked to see more, obviously.
So I sent him our standard rejection letter, adding a suggestion that he
contact his local Literature Outreach Officer about classes or groups.
And would you believe, the return envelope was 4 x 8 inches, with enough
postage for a letter to the gas board, or to your granny. Well, I thought,
that is not my problem.
So of course I found Chris's piece very much to the point!
best joanna
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jon Corelis" <[log in to unmask]>
The reason I make submissions to poetry magazines is so that if they're
accepted I can add that magazine's name to my publications list. The reason
it's important to have a lot of names, and the right names, on that list, is
because without those names as a credential, no one will take you seriously
as
a writer. I'm surprised I have to explain this.
At any rate trying to be helpful, here are a few supplementary pieces of
advice:
- Spell check your cover letter. It's surprising how many people forget
to
do this. A letter beginning "Dear Edditer" is unlikely to impress.
- Put your submissions on crisp, bright new sheets of paper -- avoid
sending things on sheets marred by tea stains, smudged thumbprints, smeared
boogers, etc.
- Use a new envelope, not the one your phone bill came in with your
address
scratched out and the new one written in. And when you lick the stamp,
don't
slobber so much on it that the whole corner of the envelope ends up looking
all wavy.
- Be sure to spell your name correctly in your signature.
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Jon Corelis [log in to unmask]
www.geocities.com/joncpoetics
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